Got it :)
Also, with Bella, it seems like she just molded into a beautiful, happy disposition. How can I make sure this new kitty becomes a loving, head-rubbing, in-your-face kitten? It's probably all natural temperament right? My friend's cat just seems to have a boring persona whereas my other friend and I have really sweet kitties, does it have something to do with how you maintain your kitty?
Great to hear that Bella "molded into a beautiful, happy dispostion." That is a real credit to your care and how you interact with her.
Each cat, just like each person, has a unique and distinct personality. If you give your new kitten the same sort of loving attention, good care, play time, and overall interactions you have Bella, while continuing to do so with Bella, you will end up with a happy cat.
Once Bella and the new kitten bond with each other, they will most likely be good companions and playmates. As long as you are patient and give them time to meet and become acquainted gradually, the odds are they will be wonderful friends. There will likely be some initial hissing and aggression that is normal, but that will pass and evolve into a non-hostile relationship as long as you make sure both cats feel loved and secure.
All right now, everyone happily chant with me, "Bella is getting a kitten companion, Bella is getting a kitten companion...."
Hey!
I just read the thread (most of it anyway). Congrats on becoming a cat parent! Bella is about a year old right? Anyway, I think that getting another kitten for her to play with would be a great idea (provided you can afford the extra expense.) At this age, they should become fast friends and there are always more kittens looking for new homes. As for as the little kitten you want to adopt, it should stay with its mommy for a few more weeks, until its at least 8 weeks old. The extra month will make the kitten healthier, more secure, will give it time to be properly weened and litter trained. The original owner might be anxious to get rid them quickly, but try to convince them not too. Anyway, cats raised in the home are usually very friendly toward their human owners (often all humans) and want to snuggle with them. This has been my experience anyway. Just make sure not to mistreat it or scare it and the kitten will most likely grow up to be a loving, happy cat.
As far as the introduction of the new kitten goes, there are detailed instructions online about how to introduce a new kitten to an existing cat. The main thing is to give Bella lots of love and attention (as much as or more than the little one), so she feels secure as "top cat" and doesn't feel like she's being replaced. Also, depending on how much Bella wants to play with the kitten, you might have to separate them for a while, to give Bella some space. Also, inspect the new kitten before you take her home to make sure she is healthy (active, alert, eating,etc) and plan to take her to a vet within the first few days.
We just rescued a 7 week old kitten a few weeks ago and introduce it to our 3 year old cat. The cat didn't want anything to do with the kitten for a couple of days and there was a lot of hissing and spatting. But now they at least tolerate each other and I imagine that once the kitten gets a little older they will be best buds.
Hey, we just got HER a few hours ago!
First off, she is definitely blind and deaf, it's noticeable.
She has many fleas or nits - the black things crawling around her, and so we're taking her to the VET ASAP tomorrow. On the same note, how much are the vaccination shots for new born kitten, and we'll probably get one for Bella as well, as its been a while since her last one. It's late here, so not vets are open for quotes.
She seems to be adjusting to everything finely and she is just so small! I'd pick her up and hug her, but the fleas are gross.
Thanks for your help everyone and I'll make sure to post pictures up :)
Oh, Paradox, are you sure she's blind as well as deaf? That's terrible, poor little thing. Are her eyes open? How old is she?
We can't tell you how much the shots will be but it shouldn't be too much. Maybe around the $45 mark or something like that? Could be as low as $30, could be higher. We're all in different countries so I don't know Aussie prices.
If you have a flea comb, you should try to get as many fleas off her as you can (and drown them in hot soapy water). They can cause anaemia in kittens. If she's crawling with them, you could give her a gentle quick bath with Palmolive detergent (plain, no additives) but make sure to towel her off very quickly and then keep her warm so she doesn't catch a chill.
Deaf... I'm not too sure, but blind, that's for sure. She's about 6 weeks old now (I couldn't adopt her any later as my family friends are going overseas these Christmas holidays so they had to give out their kittens asap) - is it okay for her to be vaccinated at this age or is it compulsory to have her 8 weeks of age before her vaccinations?
There are literally DOZENS of fleas in her coat right now, it's crawling with them. I feel bad for her and I also don't want them spreading throughout my home! Is there an alternative to Palmolive detergent?
Paradox, I'm so sorry. That poor little kitten. Is your family prepared for such a special needs kitten? Did you know that she would have these disabilities?
If you have a gentle detergent you use to wash dishes (nothing harsh and nothing you'd put in a dishwasher), you could use that instead of palmolive. Do they have Dawn detergent in Australia? What do you have there? I think I would give her the bath now, too many fleas is actually dangerous for kittens.
The vet will tell you about the vaccinations -- I think it probably depends on weight rather than age but we do vaccinate young kittens at the shelter I work at. But you will need to talk to him about the blindness anyway, as she will probably have special needs that he will need to discuss with you.
No that's okay, I've heard white cats with blue eyes are usually blind or deaf, as someone said here previously, I'm sure she'll be fine once she grows up and she'll have Bella!
How's Morning Fresh Detergent? We're going to give her a bath right now and comb her off. Hope this works.
Sorry, Paradox, TDK shut up shop there for a while. As long as Morning Fresh is gentle, with no harsh additives, and as long as you've dried the kitten quickly and well, she should be all right.
I looked up some sites on blind and/or deaf cats for you:
http://www.messybeast.com/disabled.htm
http://www.petplace.com/cats/living-with-a-blind-cat/page1.aspx
Sometimes white cats with blue eyes are deaf but I've not heard of them being blind. I'm not sure what you mean by her being fine once she grows up. If she is blind, she will always have special needs, and more so if she's deaf as well. Good luck at the vet and please keep in touch with what he or she says.
Your vet will be able to help test your kitten for blindness and deafness, as well as treat the fleas. The vet will advise you of the best age for vaccinations. You will most likely need to get the kitten wormed, too. Poor kitten!
The fleas can weaken the kitten through blood loss (anemia) as well as infect the kitten with roundworms. Roundworms will also steal nutrition from the gut of the kitten, further weakening her. It's imperative you get her to the vet soon, since so many of these conditions are easily treatable if they're caught before a critical stage of illness occurs. (Even apparent blindness may be treatable, depending upon the cause.)
I'm so sorry your kitten is affected by so many things, but with care and appropriate treatment, I'm sure she'll improve. Good luck at the vet's office! (If it all seems too expensive right now, see if the vet will accept partial payment now, and more next month. It's critical that your kitten be treated, if she's going to survive and thrive.)
Posted 2 years ago by anncetera2 #
Okay cheers JCAT and Ann. Yeah a lot of stress all around the family at the moment.
We gave it a bath in detergent, but it didn't seem to do too much, but we found SO MANY fleas in her coat.
We had to keep her outside in the granny flat, because the fleas have already infested the blanket she was sleeping on, we didn't want the fleas crawling around the house, but she's sleeping right now.
I meant she'll be more adapt to our home once she grows up, and she'll have Bella besides her at all times if they become best of friends, which I'm sure they will. Thanks for the link, but I'm still not hundred percent sure if she really is blind, but her eyes are diluted under light and when she was playing around with a toy an hour ago, she couldnt seem to find if she had pushed it away beside her.
It's late now, so I'm off to bed everyone.
Good night, I'll see you all tomorrow :)
Paradox, please let us know what the vet says about your new kitten!
As to keeping fleas from spreading in the house, lots and lots and lots of aggressive vacuuming!
Hope you get good news about your little girl. She sounds adorable. She's lucky to have someone like you who truly cares about her. As soon as you get rid of her fleas, she'll perk up and be oh so cuddly.
Ah bugger. Our vet wasn't open due to "family problems" but instead we went to the local 'mall' to buy Palmolive 'Original' detergent and a flea comb and we'll try washing her off again.
My dad is starting to think we don't have time for another kitten, and I got a tad pee'd off by that. Oh, and when she meow's it's quite weak and hoarse... is this a sign of something wrong, or is it normal for a such a small kitten her age?
EDIT: After some searching on YouTube, it seems like this is the noise a 6 week old kitten makes. Phew :)
EDIT #2: About how much detergent should I be using?
I'm following this guide: http://www.catsofaustralia.com/kitten_fleas.htm
Hi, Paradox, that's a pain that the vet was closed but good that you're getting the fleas off her. Just a small squirt of detergent in your hands should be enough -- she's probably only the size of a large teacup! That looks like an excellent website! Test the water temp with your elbow as putting your hand in will not give an accurate guide to how hot it is (our hands are used to very hot water).
Reassure your dad that you took care of Bella and you will put in the extra work for this kitty too :) . He is probably just feeling a bit exasperated and annoyed by the flea problem right now but that is easily fixed and he will come round. Good luck!
Jcat is totally on target with how to cope with the fleas. That website you found, Paradox, is great. Like it points out, lots of vacuuming as well as getting the fleas off the kitten.
Once the flea problem is eradicated, I think your dad will feel more charitable. You just need to step up and continue to take full responsibility for the extra work it takes introducing a new kitten into the family and dealing with the flea problem. Remind him how Bella was extra work only in the beginning and became easier to care for as she matured. Kitten will be the same.
Have you chosen a name for the kitten yet? Or has she yet to tell you her kitty name?
Just wow!... We probably drowned A HUNDRED, if not more, fleas - literally. I had my sister and mum help out, and it took a full hour. She was littered with them, I felt so sorry for her. Oh and what's all this green glimey stuff around her eyes, and there seems to be red spots behind her ears, near the eyes and mouth. I'm guessing it's the flea bites?
I'm PRETTY sure all the fleas are removed now, and she's purring blissfully with her tail high, she is adorable. Bella has been hissing at her scent, but I still have them separated.
Hm with the name, I haven't thought of one for her yet. I was thinking, snow or white in latin, but they're weird-sounding, but I want her to relate to her beautiful blue eyes and white fur, at the same time clicks with 'Bella'! I guess I'll have to brainstorm names :)
Poor baby! You'll have to go through her fur with a flea comb for the next little while to make sure you remove any eggs. Make sure to toss items she's been on, blankets, and pillows in the hot wash in the washing machine and hte dryer. Anything you can't wash..vaccum...and vaccum again! The vet might give her some revolution (flea/ear mite) treatment on the back of her neck just in case.
But lucky the kitten has found a nice daddy to take care of her!
Poor baby. All those red spots are the flea bites. Don't know about the green stuff around eyes. You can GENTLY wipe around her eyes with a warm damp cloth every few hours and see if that helps clear her eyes. Be sure to bring that to the vet's attention when you get kitten in to see the vet!!!
You'll need to gently wash kitten again every day for awhile and do lots of combing. Yes, you will have to spend these first days of your vacation rather with full time work to get kitten free of fleas and thereby healthy. Flea infestation can actually kill small kittens. So continue your wonderful care and she will be fine.
Each day will get easier as kitten acclimates, kitten is more and more free of fleas, and she and you bond closely.
As to her name, that will come in due time. Sometimes we know immediately what name belongs to a cat and sometimes it takes longer for us to recognize the kitty's name. At least, with a chuckle at myself, that's how I like to think of it.
Thanks for keeping us updated. Let us know what the vet says and please also keep us updated as to how kitten and Bella learn to get along in due course.
As the old saying goes, "Ya done good kid." Keep up the good work sir.
Bianca is Italian for white and it goes rather nicely with Bella... Blanche is French for white. Neige is French for snow and the Spanish for snow is Nieve. Neve is Italian for snow but you could pronounce it the same as the Irish name Neve...
The green gook around the eyes could mean she has an upper respiratory infection or an eye infection. You can gently bathe her eyes with cold tea, but she will probably need antibiotics. That might also be why she's not seeing so well.
I know the family with the cat and kittens are friends of your family but I am worried about the mama cat and the other kittens with all these fleas -- if your kitten has them, they all will and they can kill a kitten (and they're not too much fun for a mum either). Is there any way someone can tactfully alert your friends to the fact that their cat needs defleaing and so do the other kittens?
In keeping with the white theme: Sugar, Opal, Gem, Salt, Grace, Lily, Star, Snow, Sparkle (especially if she has a sparkling personality).
For blue eyes (which may change color when she gets older, as most kittens eyes do) you could name her Sky, or Iris (which also goes with the white color.)
By the way, Iris is not only a flower which has colors running the gamut from white to blue, but iris also means rainbow. And all the colors of the rainbow together make for pure white light. Only when refracted does light split into the spectrum of colors, all of which show up in colors of iris blossoms.
So many great names, thanks a bunch for the great suggestions, but I LOVE, Bianca, because both Bianca and Bella is Italian and connects nicely, also connecting with her.
Hmm, thanks ILikeTea, what exactly do flea eggs look like? We went through her coat extremely thoroughly and we think it's spotless lean, but nevertheless, if it's better to do so, I'll give her more baths.
JCAT, Rest assured, the owner is well aware there are fleas and have told all the adopting owners.
I'm also feeling sympathetic for Bella now! Argh. She's sniffing her scent that's on me and she has been hissing at me looking cheesed off and probably, jealous. When can I let them greet each other under supervision?
I like Bianca too, I think it's a lovely name!
I think flea eggs are almost too small to see, Paradox, but the fleas you can see are already almost at the end of their life cycle, whereas the eggs are just waiting to hatch out, so that's why you have to keep on combing and/or bathing for a while. I'm glad the owner knows about the fleas.
Poor Bella, she will be jealous at first, that's why you have to give her lots of extra loving, both now and when the new kitten is in the room with her. I think I would hold off introducing them (which is best done through a mostly closed door so they can only sniff and pat at each other) until Bella stops hissing at the new kitty's smell. You can also put a blanket or towel in each one's bed and when they've slept on it for a few days, swap them so that each cat gets used to the other's scent -- again, before the actual introduction.
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